Parliament Admits It Wrongly Approved New Dialysis Fees, Promises To Correct Error
- The Parliament of Ghana says it wrongly approved the hike in dialysis fees from GH¢380 to GH¢491
- It noted that the mistake stemmed from errors in the document presented by the Finance Ministry
- Parliament assured Ghanaians that the mistake will be corrected as soon as possible to ease the burden on renal patients
Parliament has admitted that it had wrongly approved the hike in dialysis fees from GH¢380 to GH¢491.
According to the subsidiary legislation committee in Parliament, the new dialysis fee increment was approved in error.
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Addressing Parliament, the chairman of the subsidiary legislation committee, Dr Dominic Ayine, stated that the document presented by the Finance Ministry contained several errors, hence the mistake.
He said the Deputy Finance Minister, Abena Osei, has been notified to bring an addendum for Parliament to correct the errors.
He also assured Parliament and Ghanaians that the cost of dialysis fees would also be corrected in the process.
Meanwhile, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Bagbin, has urged the subsidiary legislation committee to consider stakeholder engagement in addressing future price hikes.
According to the Speaker, an amicable agreement among stakeholders on approaching the price of dialysis treatment would prevent future uproars.
Renal patients raise the alarm about price hikes
The sudden hike in dialysis costs came to the fore after the Renal Patients Association of Ghana raised alarm about it.
The Association said the increment was disappointing and could hinder many patients' access to lifesaving dialysis treatment.
The spokesperson for the Association, Major Baffour Kojo Ahenkorah, told Citi TV that patients were already struggling with the GH¢380 they were previously paying, and this new price will lead more patients to their deaths.
He said that when some patients heard of the new price, they returned home without receiving treatment that day.
He described the situation as challenging for renal patients and called on the government to intervene.
He revealed that the Parliament's select committee on health has purportedly approved the new price.
He said the Association is patiently awaiting the resumption of Parliament to plead with the committee to reduce the cost of treatment to improve access.
Korle Bu justifies cost increment
YEN.com.gh reported that the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital has said it is imperative to increase the cost of dialysis treatment because the unit may cease to exist due to operational and other expenses.
The hospital's PRO, Mustapha Salifu, has said the government used to subsidise some of the cost of treatment, but not anymore.
He also disclosed that high port charges and other taxes threaten the continuous existence of the dialysis unit.
Proofread by Berlinda Entsie, journalist and copy editor at YEN.com.gh
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Source: YEN.com.gh
